BALUT (OR HALF-HATCHED DUCK EGG) – VIETNAM DISH VOTED AS THE PLANET’S MOST HORROR
Balut is a very favorite dish in Vietnam and some countries in Asia such as China, Philippines. This is a popular snack with high nutritional weight.
Why is it called Balut or Half-hatched duck egg?
The duck egg is not completely hatched by female ducks, therefore, it so-called “half-hatched”.
How is it produced?
Fertilized duck eggs are kept warm in the sun and stored in baskets to retain warmth. After nine days, the eggs are held to a light to reveal the embryo inside and they are ready to be sold, cooked and eaten after 8-12 days later. The Vietnamese often prefer their balut mature from 19 days up to 21 days, when the chick is old enough to be recognized as a baby duck. Imagine a tiny, half-formed head, a bit of a beak, formative guts and bones and the odd feather, all surrounded by egg and you’ve got balut.
How to eat balut?
In Vietnam, balut are eaten with laksa leaves, a pinch of salt, lemon juice, plus ground pepper. Various cook way are tamarind sauce eggs, fried eggs or used as raw material for the hot pot.
Balut is very popular in Vietnam. You can easily buy balut eggs from a street vendor who cook and keep them warm in a bucket of sand.
For some Westerners and Americans, eating balut eggs is indeed a horror. There is a balut eating contest is held in the U.S yearly and last year 2013, the winner knocked back 27 balut in 5 minutes.
Price for a balut in Vietnam is around 5,000 VND but in USA, you have to pay 4 USD (equivalent 80,000 VND) for each. So why don’t test your courage if you travel to Vietnam with a balut?
